Bell Foley Dam Project

The Bell Foley Dam Project was an unrealized construction effort in the 1970s to dam the Strawberry River and create a reservoir in Lawrence County. Due to opposition from environmentalists, local citizens, and recreation enthusiasts, the project was never completely funded or completed. 

The 1938 Flood Control Act appropriated $25 million for the construction of dams on the White River and associated rivers within its watershed in an effort to create reservoirs to control the flooding of the river and for other purposes. The act and subsequent legislation led to the construction of three dams: Bull Shoals Dam and Beaver Dam in Arkansas and Table Rock Dam in Missouri. (Powersite Dam in Missouri predates this effort.) The project to dam the Strawberry River was proposed as part of Flood Control Act efforts, as the Strawberry River flows into the Black River, which in turn flows into the White River.  

The proposed Bell Foley Dam, named for a blacksmith who lived in the area in the nineteenth century, moved toward construction in 1970. Other projects took precedence over the damming of the small river, and with the completion of those projects, the Corps of Engineers announced that construction would begin within the decade. The proposed dam would be 410 feet tall, and the lake created by the structure would encompass about 12,000 acres, while an estimated 6,000 acres would directly benefit from the reservoir. The estimated cost in 1975 for the project was $43 million, while a later estimate in 1978 put the cost at $100 million.  

Investors and others who supported the idea of creating a recreational lake in the area believed it would spur development. Multiple members of the Arkansas congressional delegation also supported the project, including Senator John McClellan, Congressman Wilbur Mills, and Congressman Bill Alexander. State Senator Bill Walmsley of Batesville (Independence County) was one of a number of members of the Arkansas General Assembly who supported the project.  

Although the project was announced in 1970, significant legislative and financial work did not begin until the administration of Governor David Pryor. Opposition to the dam came from environmental groups and farmers who would be impacted by the project. Pryor had a chance to stop the project, as the state would be responsible for half of the costs of any recreational facilities constructed along the shoreline of the new lake.  

In a letter dated July 9, 1975, Pryor officially declined to support the construction of the dam, citing the number of acres of land flooded by the lake versus the much smaller number of acres to directly benefit from the reservoir. He was also concerned about inaccessible areas covered with mud at the edge of the lake and the estimated six to eight million dollars that the project would cost the state. He also stated that the Arkansas Constitution prevented the state from taking on any debt for more than two years that was not approved by a referendum.  

Many land speculators who had purchased property near the proposed lake denounced the decision. The Arkansas General Assembly approved a resolution in early 1976, declaring a continued interest in the project. A bill to fund the state portion of the recreation areas passed both chambers of the legislature in early 1977, while proponents of the project continued to lobby the governor and push for public support. The money would come from the Arkansas Department of Parks and Tourism, which would then charge fees to users of the lake. Pryor vetoed the bill on February 3, 1977, pointing out that the fees that would be required of the users were too high for most people wanting to utilize the lake.  

In 2002, the Corps of Engineers removed the project from its list of potential projects.  

For additional information:
Brown, Robert L. Defining Moments: Historic Decisions by Arkansas Governors from McMath through Huckabee. Fayetteville: University of Arkansas Press, 2010. 

Heard, Kenneth. “Plan for Lake in Sharp County Dissolves.” Northwest Arkansas Democrat-Gazette, March 24, 2002.  

David Sesser
Southeastern Louisiana University